Warm Spell Sets Moscow Record High

Muscovites left their fur hats and coats at home this week _ and were still sweating, as temperatures soared to record levels for Moscow in late January.

With daytime temperatures above freezing for the fourth day in a row, residents of the Russian capital sloshed through pond-sized puddles instead of trudging over the snowbanks that towered over streets just a week ago.

Some got out their umbrellas to keep off the rain _ another unusual occurrence for January.

The thermometer on Thursday showed 39 degrees _ the highest on record in Moscow for Jan. 24, according to the State Meteorological Center. On Friday, the high was 37 degrees, the highest for Jan. 25 since 1904.

The warm spell affected much of western and southern Russia, while Siberia and the Russian Far East have remained seasonably cold. A snowstorm paralyzed the Pacific port city of Vladivostok and the surrounding region Monday.

Hypothermia continued to claim lives in Moscow despite the warmer weather, with five people freezing to death last weekend, bringing the total killed by cold in the capital this winter to 314.